Washer/Dryer Advice (1 Viewer)

[JohnVee]

I'm looking for opinions from people who own or owned either a stacked W/D combo or an all-in-one, Euro-style machine. What did you like, hate, won't do again, accepted as a compromise? Brand and age? Model number would be great since not all machines from a brand share quality.

I need something for the lake house. The separate W&D's are in the only available space for them, the guest room closet, and that eats up a ton of storage space in that little house. They'll be moving to our Charlotte house to replace the units there, so I'd like to regain some of that closet space by switching to a stacked combo or an all-in-one if it's feasible. The main requirement is that it fit a king size comforter, which sucks because most of the loads washed there are about half the size of what I do at home. I've been seeing requirements for that range from 3.8 - 6.0 cubic feet from different sources. I'm not sure who to believe. I know I could always buy a second comforter and just take the dirty one home to wash in Charlotte but that's not preferred. Also, we're 30 minutes from the nearest town so going to a laundromat is not gonna happen to wash a blanket.

I'd love to just buy the Speed Queen stacked unit and be done, but the price and I are having a pretty large disagreement. Plus, I'm still saving up for their standard models for the Charlotte house! ***For those that don't know, Speed Queen makes commercial stuff. Not as fancy as other brands but built to last with hard use - the Land Cruiser of laundry.

 

[Cornhusker]

You can’t beat a Speed Queen. I would look on Craigslist and Marketplace. You can often find a smoking deal and if they happen to need anything, repairs are easy and parts are readily available.

 

[S4Cruiser]

We have an all in one unit for our cabin. Washer works fine but the size of the dryer is on the smaller size. I wouldn't dry a king (or queen size either) sized comforter and just take those to the local dry cleaners to be washed / dried.

 

[alk747triodad]

I just saw my first all-in-one washer/dryer at Lowes the other day. I know, I live a sheltered life in Albemarle. I was like WOW! Who would have thunk you could buy one machine that washes and dries all your laundry in one cycle. Perfect for a lake house! I had a stacked unit before and couldn't get a large comforter to fit in either the washer or dryer. Maybe the Speed Queen is larger but I still like the idea of put clothes in the washer and pull them out already dry. Just my opinion but less work and takes up less space.

 

[Fort Knox]

Only downside is you can't have a load in the washer AND a load in the dryer at the same time, if you care about that kinda thing.

 

[JohnVee]

Only downside is you can't have a load in the washer AND a load in the dryer at the same time, if you care about that kinda thing.

I've read that the all-in-ones don't wash or dry as well, and a cycle is usually 3-6 hours with many models taking up to 8 hours. Something to do with them not getting anywhere near as hot as standard electric dryers. That's why I'd like to get a real world report from a friendly. But honestly, I think capacity is the real killer for me.

 

[stevezero]

Surprised noone has mentioned sportsheets, or incontinence sheets for you yet, John

 

[mtweller]

Only downside is you can't have a load in the washer AND a load in the dryer at the same time, if you care about that kinda thing.

Just buy 2

 

[JohnVee]

Surprised noone has mentioned sportsheets, or incontinence sheets for you yet, John

Too soon. I’ll let you figure out which way I mean that!

 

[SeanLX]

I did hear a complaint a long time ago that the combo ones didn't do as well. I was told that the step where you move the clothes after the spin cycle in the washer (when they're all tight wringed together) and shake them out to put them in the dryer makes a big difference in how the load turns out.
Maybe they've improved in the last 20 years but that middle step might make a difference.

 

[CharlestonG8R]

My wife had a combo unit in the house she owned when we first met. It wasn't anything fancy, but it worked fine for clothes and sheets. Forget about a King Size comforter...

When we moved to California, our laundry room was rather small. We used a stacking kit to put a full sized LG dryer over our LG washer and it worked perfectly fine. Do you have the space to do something like that?

 

[JohnVee]

We used a stacking kit to put a full sized LG dryer over our LG washer and it worked perfectly fine. Do you have the space to do something like that?

Unsure. The limitation would probably be height due to the standard height door frame of the closet (but double wide) and Sarah being short. Looking into that today, though.

 

[weejub]

We had a tight fit in the new house, so bought the LG stacked unit. So far, so good.

Is that Speedqueen stacked unit really $4.8K?

We got ours for <$2K, but this one shows $2.9K as the list price, on sale for $2K through tomorrow.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/LG/5014086723

Edit: The complaints about needing to clean the filter and drain the tub a lot are real - and you have to get down on the floor to do it. If you don't, the tub gets stinky.

 

[weejub]

Unsure. The limitation would probably be height due to the standard height door frame of the closet (but double wide) and Sarah being short. Looking into that today, though.

Yea HB wanted the buttons close together in the middle. We went through Lowes because they seem to be able to get LG fixed in our area, whereas we can't find anyone to work on anything LG otherwise.

 

[JohnVee]

Update:
We found a used stacked Speed Queen in Winston Salem for a very fair price. I was planning the logistics of picking it up and shuffling appliances from one house to the next when Sarah found a Speed Queen regular set that had just been posted on FB for a ridiculously low price just a few miles down the road in CLT, so... I woke up early, picked up an appliance dolly from @roadstr6 , grabbed a $29 rental box truck with a ramp from Home Depot, and brought them home to the CLT house. I'll keep an eye out for a stacked unit for the lake but that's not a time sensitive issue since the units there still work fine (I just want to regain half of the closet space they're in).

Listed the late 1990's Kenmore W&D on FB and sold them within 10 minutes for $60 (only the washer worked). Dude showed up 15 minutes later and hauled them off. We paid $200 for the pair, used, in 2008, so I'd say we definitely got our $140 worth out of them!

 

[Trollhole]

We have the GE profile set. First set lasted 8 years but they were both scratch and dent ones with the dryer needing to be beat back in shape to work. They worked well untill the washing machine on high spin decided to come apart. I thought a plane had crashed into the house. The next set was another set of GE Profiles. They have done well even with kids putting crap in them they shouldn't and having 2 golden retrievers. I love side loads stacked.

If you want to talk dishwashers I can do that. I've been through 5 in 15 years. All kinds of brands. The bosh we bought last year has been awesome. Would recommend that brand over pretty much everything else. Kids cannot destroy them.

Get a trash compactor. Have had one for 20 years. Hands down best appliance I own.

 

[gasman4u]

We have the GE profile set. First set lasted 8 years but they were both scratch and dent ones with the dryer needing to be beat back in shape to work. They worked well untill the washing machine on high spin decided to come apart. I thought a plane had crashed into the house. The next set was another set of GE Profiles. They have done well even with kids putting crap in them they shouldn't and having 2 golden retrievers. I love side loads stacked.

If you want to talk dishwashers I can do that. I've been through 5 in 15 years. All kinds of brands. The bosh we bought last year has been awesome. Would recommend that brand over pretty much everything else. Kids cannot destroy them.

Get a trash compactor. Have had one for 20 years. Hands down best appliance I own.

Dishwasher replacement is my subspecialty. I will see your 5 dishwashers, but in the span of 13 years (Whirlpools, LG, GE). Not exactly ideal, but we use them probably close to 15+ times per week. I just stepped into Bosch dishwashers last week and this thing is great so far!